Betonarbeid

Labelled as an "educational film," Betonarbeid (Concrete Construction) does indeed show in exhaustive detail how concrete caissons are constructed and sunk to serve as quays. But the film is also a testimony of Ivens's keen eye for the extraordinary skills of the ironworkers. He also unwittingly recorded how deficient safety conditions at the construction site actually were in 1930. Above all, the subject of the film offered him the chance to compose a "symphony of labour" by playing with light and dark, with lines and visual rhythms. A few shots are even reminiscent of the work of Mondriaan. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)